After getting used to their new surroundings, Mamako and Masato bring new members into their party. New revelations are made known to Masato, who is still perplexed his mom is adventuring with him. What is the true nature of this world he’s found himself in? And will their first quest go as planned?

Plot and Synopsis

Masato and Mamako finish up their rounds of interviews, selecting a merchant named Porter – a beta player like themselves – to join their group. They’re interrupted when one of the application papers they’ve received transforms into a fiery red-haired girl named Wise. She takes Masato away to explain the true nature of the MMMMMORPG, which is to deepen the relationship between mother and child. After reuniting with Mamako and Porter, Wise agrees to join Masato’s party so that she can hitchhike her way back to the real world.

Mamako agrees only on the condition that they find Wise’s estranged mother, much to her dismay. On their first quest in a dungeon, they’re attacked by an army of slimes and are all defeated swiftly by Mamako. Soon after, they discover Shirase again; this time, dressed up as a nun, who tells them to visit the village of Maman next.

Episode Highlights

Wise the Sage and Porter the Merchant

Porter’s a pretty cheeky adventurer who lacks any fighting power, but makes up for it with her incredible crafting skills and an uncanny ability to get great deals with merchants. She’s Masato’s favorite member so far and is easily the most innocent of the group. My favorite, however, is Wise, who is a combination of Aqua and Megumin from Konosuba. She has decent skills as a Sage class, but is unbearably cocky and opportunistic. Like Aqua, watching her fail and fall to misfortune is just too funny and her quips with Masato add a fiery spirit into the cast. I hope we get to meet her mother down the road and explore how they were separated. 

Mamako’s Mom Service 

Our first snippet of fan service arrives at the moment when Mamako and crew face off against some slimes. Naturally from here, her clothes start burning off and Masato is unfortunately roped into the hijinks. Things don’t necessarily get TOO spicy or uncomfortable from there, but I think Masato is more embarrassed than all of us. The good thing for us though is that we see Mamako leveling up, gaining the ability to track Masato and make her body glow like a flashlight. 

More References and Puns

I never expected to see a quick cameo of Lina Inverse from Slayers, so kudos to the anime for adding it. Our Mom-related puns also continue when we learn the currency used in the game is called Mam and Masato’s party visits a village called Maman. Tune in next time to see if more mom puns show up! 

Comments

This week’s episode gave us some more background into the world Masato has found himself in. I’m impressed by just how much he goes along with everything, from Wise crashing the interview to accepting his mom’s overpowered skills. It all seems too absurd for him to accept. An example of this is when he learns from Wise what MMMMMORP actually stands for (Mom’s Massively Maternal Making-Up-With-Offspring Role-Playing Game). That’s a pretty long acronym in a show that has long titles for itself and its episodes. Nevertheless, this leads to more questions about the game’s true purpose. Why is there a focus on mothers and their relationship with their children? And why is Shirase (the government agent from last episode) always appearing in key places? I’m hoping the next few episodes reveals these answers because I’m assuming it all leads into how Masato grew distant from his mother.  

The addition of Wise and Porter adds some more personality to the anime. If the show only focuses on Mamako and Masato, we’d probably have to worry about the material going stale or the possibility of exploring some awkward Oedipal moments (refer to episode highlights). As previously stated, I like Wise especially because she’s the only character that can relate with Masato. They’re both teenagers who’ve grown distant from their mothers and both are suspicious of the game world’s intent. She has a personality some people might hate, but her incompetency is sure to put her on the receiving end of a lot of jokes. 

More Service to Come!

Judging from the next episode’s preview, I’m guessing we’ll be having more fan service moments promised at a hot spring. This episode does a good job moving things along and introducing new elements to show. While it does shift some focus to Wise and Porter, Mamako still reigns as supermom. 

What did you think of Episode 2? Are you a fan of Porter or Wise? And what are your thoughts on Mamako and Masato’s slime mishap? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out our other Summer 2019 anime reviews on MANGA.TOKYO. 

Up Next: Underwear is Armor. Make Sure It’s High in Defense. Otherwise, My Son Might Die!

Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

Summer 2019 | Anime Info | Simulcast